Wide range highly sensitive pressure sensor based on heated micromachined arch beam

Abstract

A device for measuring pressure includes a curved microbeam having opposing ends, a length extending between the pair of opposing ends, and a plurality of resonant frequencies, an actuating electrode extending along the length of the curved microbeam and spaced from the curved microbeam, an AC power source in communication with one of the opposing ends and the actuating electrode to deliver an AC signal at a first symmetric resonant frequency and a second symmetric resonant frequency selected from the plurality of resonant frequencies to the curved microbeam, a DC power source in communication with the opposing ends to pass an electrothermal voltage along a length of the curved microbeam, and a frequency monitoring device to monitor changes in the first symmetric resonant frequency and the second symmetric resonant frequency caused by an ambient pressure surrounding the curved microbeam.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.